


Something Stupid

by cookieficent



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28497492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookieficent/pseuds/cookieficent
Summary: Where Kyungsoo is waiting for Yeol, and finds Jonginnie instead
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39
Collections: The Little Prince Fest_Round Three





	Something Stupid

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, dearest mods, for organizing this fest and letting me slide my way in with a self-prompt at the last moment. 
> 
> Happy (belated) Kyungsoo Day, y'all!!

His bed, warm and comfy, was calling out to him. The black comforter with yellow daffodils perfect to become a blanket burrito. But Jongin resisted.

Oh how hard he ignored the promise of the bed's warmth. Because no matter how much he wanted to stretch out his tired long legs and get some shut-eye, there was something niggling his mind.

A mystery that he needed to solve or he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.

"...."

There it was again. The distant mumbling.

He walked up to his window overlooking the field that he had been fascinated with for the past hour. Focusing past the reflection of his own face, tan and tired, he stood there for a good couple of minutes. His breath misted the glass as he peered out. In the dim light of just the moon, he could faintly make out someone on the ground, 20 feet away from his apartment.

 _You're supposed to be asleep, Jongin. You can't win the competition tomorrow if you're half dead with lack of sleep_ , his mind tried to get him into bed. 

But in the end, his curiosity won. 

Grabbing his overcoat from the living room, he rushed out, putting on his scuffed shoes by the door.

He might have been in a hurry but Jongin didn't have a death wish. It was the beginning of winter and close to freezing already. 

Once out of the building, he slowed down, taking cautious steps towards the crouching figure he could see in the distance.

Around him, the neighbourhood was deserted, except for one house at the far end of the block. He could hear muffled music playing. 

_A party, perhaps? Yixing would know._ His flatmate was the more party-positive among the two, said it helped him assimilate better. Since the Chinese exchange student wasn't back home till now, he might be out enjoying the night somewhere.

There was a streetlight on his far right, the light too weak to reach the figure kneeling in the field. As he crossed the road and neared the bushes bordering the barren field, Jongin could make out the what sounded like sobs and mumbling: 

"....strong... be light... back"

For a few minutes, he just stood there, unsure of what to do.  
_'What if the stranger is a murderer? Why would someone be out at 1am in the outskirts of the city?'_

 _'But what if they are hurt or need help'_ , the sentimental side of him chimed in. Plus, Jongin just really needed to know, okay? That's just how he was.

He decided to take a chance, stepping closer to the figure.

Closer but still at a safe distance. No death wish, remember? He didn't want to die at 19.

"Bond be strong. Bond be tight. Bring him back towards my light" This close, Jongin could better make out the stranger singing. It sounded like he was singing at least. 

He, yes. It was a guy. 

And one with quite a nice voice, too, even if it was trembling a little.

Jongin cleared his throat softly, trying to get the person's attention. 

"Uhm... excuse me. Is everything okay?" he said gently. 

But that was enough to startle the figure, who turned too fast and ended up falling on his ass. 

Glassy eyes, tear stained cheeks, and mouth downturned. Jongin's heart constricted at how deplorable the guy looked. 

The sobs had ceased, but when there was no response to his question, he looked around the slumped figure and noticed an odd array of items lying on the ground. 

Cellphone with the flashlight on. Some kind of bundled up green cloth. A fireplace pick. And... a ladle?

There was a patch of loose dirt and for a few seconds, Jongin panicked. What if his earlier suspicion was right? Was the stranger some kind of a criminal?

But in the next instant, the male on the ground sniffled and _he just looked. so. sad._

"Are you alright? Do you need some help?" Jongin tried again.

The stranger whispered a 'No', righting the skewed glasses on his nose.

"No, you're not okay or no, you don't need help?" 

"I don't know..." The reply was broken by a hiccup. The stranger tried to stand up but he stumbled, falling back on his ass. 

A sudden gust of wind and Jongin was hit with the strong stench of alcohol. Was he, perhaps, drunk? 

"Let's get you off the ground first. It must be freezing" Jongin took 2 steps forward and offered his hand to the sniffling male, who took it after some hesitation. 

Once he seemed somewhat stable on his feet, Jongin asked him his name. 

"Kyungsoo," the other replied, with his gaze lowered and... stuck on the bundle?

He was a head shorter than Jongin, and his sadness seemed to make him look even smaller.

"Kyungsoo, I'm Jongin. Do you need some help? What are doing out here?"

“I'm waiting for Yeol... H-he was supposed to be b-back by now"

"Is he your friend? Did you try calling him? Maybe he's on his way." 

"He's the love of my life. My best fr--," Kyungsoo's pitch increased and then he broke into sobs again, swaying a little. 

Yep, definitely drunk, Jongin thought as he put his hands on Kyungsoo's arms to keep him steady.

It was then that he noticed Kyungsoo was wearing just a thin sweater and jeans. Definitely not winterwear. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay. He'll be back. Do you want to go home and wait for him there? It's pretty chilly out here. Do you want me to call a cab?"

At this, Kyungsoo jerked out of Jongin's grasp, falling down again.

"No! I have to wait for him here! He's supposed to come back. It's supposed to work." He grabbed the bundle, bringing it close to his chest, and mumbled incoherently. 

Trying to be gentle, Jongin crouched down, a hand out towards Kyungsoo, close but not touching. "Okay, okay. How about we get you a little warm while we wait for your friend, huh?"

He took off his jacket and draped it on the sobbing mess, who he now knew was named Kyungsoo.

As the biting wind hit Jongin again, he wondered why he said "we".

He wasn't obligated to wait with Kyungsoo. They were total strangers. It was stupid to put his own health and safety at risk for a drunk stranger. No matter how cute he was.

Wait, what? Jongin backtracked mentally.

But then he realised that wasn't wrong.

Kyungsoo did look cute hunched in Jongin's larger overcoat, trying to hold on to the lapels as well as the bundle.

He had big, dark eyes, dark hair cropped close, which enhanced the roundness of his face. The alcohol had reddened his full cheeks, taking his cuteness a couple of notches up. 

As Kyungsoo let out another pathetic choked sob, Jongin realised he was too much of a softie to leave the guy out alone. 

"I live across the street. Do you want to wait for your friend at my house? My window overlooks this field so you will be able to keep an eye out for your friend without freezing yourself to death."

When Kyungsoo looked hesitant, Jongin continued, "I've got hot chocolate." 

At that, Kyungsoo whipped his head up, a small spark in his wide eyes.

Jongin smiled a little. So, a chocolate lover, huh? Cute, he thought again, before continuing, "We can save some for Yeol too". At this, Kyungsoo shook his head "Yeol can't have chocolate"

"He can't?" Maybe he was allergic or diabetic, Jongin thought.

"No problem. I'm sure I have something else to offer him. Let's go in, now?" 

He offered his hand to Kyungsoo again, who accepted it.

Together, they made their way into Jongin's house.

Traversing the stairs leading up to the first floor, where Jongin lived in a small apartment, was a bit tricky, given how Kyungsoo kept stumbling on his own feet and then on Jongin's feet.

Once inside, Jongin helped Kyungsoo to the couch where he seemed to sink into the plushy cushions, a pout on his face. 

A moment later though, he jumped up, or tried to but lost his balance, plopping down on the couch again.

"The window! I need to be near the window so I can see Yeol" he said, slurring his words a little and walking around the coffee table almost in a daze.

Adorable. _Like a penguin_ , Jongin's mind supplied, noting how pale his skin was in contrast to his dark clothes. How different from Jongin's own warmer complexion

In better lighting, he could see the freckles on Kyungsoo's nose and cheeks. His eyebrows were strong, bushy, and stood out starkly on his boyish face. 

Guided by Jongin, Kyungsoo took a seat by the window. “What was your name again? Jungun?” he asked.

“Jong-in”, the other corrected him.

“Jongin”, the tipsy one tried out the name again and it sounded so soft to Jongin’s ears.

Making sure that the window was closed and the other was warm, Jongin went to his kitchenette.

While the water boiled, Jongin took a long look at the cute stranger, who seemed to be concentrating hard on the scenery outside the window.

"How old are you, Kyungsoo?"

"20"

"Oh. I thought you were younger than me. I'm 19"

"Hmmm..."

"Do you want to tell me what you were doing out there?"

"Waiting for Yeol. Astrid said it would work..."

He looked confused for a few seconds, then continued, "But why isn't he back yet? I miss Yeol. I feel so lonely without him. I even used his favourite... Astrid told me to. His jacket is dirty too. He's not going to like it..." 

Kyungsoo rambled on and Jongin didn't know what to make of his words. 

He decided to ask simpler questions to ease Kyungsoo out of his drunken stupor. 

"Let's start from the beginning, Kyungsoo. Where do you live? Do you have your parents' or roommate's number? So I can call them"

Jongin took Kyungsoo's phone out of his pocket. Realising that the battery seemed to have died, he told Kyungsoo he'd put it to charge.

"My parents? They're on a vacation. I was supposed to be with Yeol but he--" As Kyungsoo's last words turned into a whine, Jongin saw another sobbing session coming. So he interrupted him.

"Did you try calling Yeol?"

"I did!" Kyungsoo replies with a passion. "I called him many times. And he always answers. He knows I worry." Kyungsoo pouted, eyes downcast, fingers fiddling with the bundle, or jacket, again. "Do you think he didn't like my food, Jonginnie?" 

_Jonginnie._

Jongin’s brain instantly latched on to that, his eyes going wide at how nice that sounded.

And when Kyungsoo lifted his own eyes up and stared straight at Jongin, the latter felt his breath stop for a second.

There was so much helplessness in the older's eyes that he had to resist pulling him into a hug. All he wanted to do was comfort the older with his warmth, kiss his head and tell him everything would be okay.

He only did the last and busied himself with making their drinks. 

Kyungsoo continued to speak about his friend, how the park was their favourite place to spend time together, how Yeol would cuddle Kyungsoo when he had a tough day and listen to him vent, how much Kyungsoo loved his friend, how Yeol didn't like visiting Minseok who had an annoying cat, and so on...

There was so much fondness in the elder's voice that it made Jongin yearn.

He wanted a friend like Kyungsoo too.

He never had this kind of connection with anyone since he lost touch with all his closest friends long ago and that made him a little jealous. He had friends now, sure, mostly in his dance class, but none so dear that he'd be this affected upon losing them.

With their hot chocolates ready, Jongin took a seat next to Kyungsoo and listened to him reminisce. His voice was deep,with a warm timbre that gave Jongin goosebumps when it went lower. 

"...Sooyoung's birthday party. Astrid said the ritual would work..." 

That broke through Jongin's thoughts. 

"Ritual? What ritual?"

"For Yeol. In the field. Astrid said to dig. And bury. And sing. And wait. Oh my God what if it doesn't work coz I'm not waiting for him in the field? What if I never see him again?! I didn't even tell him that I love him when I saw him last"

Jongin's felt a pinch of something painful in his chest at the last statement, but it was gone the next moment as Kyungsoo started to hyperventilate, panicking at his realisation. 

"No no no, Kyungsoo. Breathe. Calm down. Please don't cry again. You said you love each other. He'll come back to you, don't worry," Jongin took his face in his hands, trying to calm him down with soothing words.

Whimpering, the elder reached forward and put his arms around the other.

Jongin went still. Unsure of how to react, he just let Kyungsoo hide his face in the crook of his neck. Let him sniffle and sob and empty his heart and tears.

After a while, he mustered up courage to gently pat the other on his back and his head. That seemed to work like magic, as Kyungsoo soon calmed down again, his hold loosening. 

_Magic._ Something in Jongin's brain clicked. 

Yeol's jacket. Full moon. The weird song. _Chanting._

"Were you trying a magick ritual in the field?"

"Yes"

"That's what you were singing for? To bring back your friend? Kyungsoo?? Are you awake?"

He got a hum in response.

Okay, okay. Now things make sense. Weird but still.

Jongin breathed out a sigh of relief at the solved mystery.

But now he had a new problem in his hands, literally, as Kyungsoo seemed to have fallen asleep. Unable to wake him up, Jongin decided the best thing to do would be to let the drunk boy sleep it off. 

He put Kyungsoo into his bed, and prepared to settle down himself on the couch until he thought of why Kyungsoo was in his house in the first place. 

Yeol. He was waiting for Yeol.

What if the friend came looking for him and left again, not finding Kyungsoo there? A beat later he scoffed at himself assuming the magick ritual would work, that magic was real. 

_But just what if?_ He thought as Kyungsoo's sad face flashed in his mind.

No, he couldn't risk it. He'd keep a watch for Yeol and give him a piece of his mind. What was he thinking making his friend worry like that?

Kyungsoo deserved better, he thought with a huff.

Yeah, he'd tell him good.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

An incessant ringing woke him with a start.

Groaning, Jongin tried to sort through his befuddled thoughts, wondering why he was slumped on a chair in front of his window.

The annoying ringing (which wasn't his ringtone, by the way) did nothing to ease his headache or confusion.

Yanking the phone off the charging cable, a bleary eyed Jongin put it to his ears and scratched out a hello.

"KYUNGSOO! WHERE ARE YOU ??? WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR HOURS! ARE YOU OKAY? ARE YOU HURT? WHY WAS YOUR PHONE SWITCHED OFF...." 

Kyungsoo. The name put things back in focus for Jongin, who rushed to his bed to check up on the sleeping beauty, er, Kyungsoo.

The elder seemed to be in deep sleep, sprawled on his stomach across Jongin's bed, 2 of his extra pillows hugged in his arms, his face looking extra squishy in sleep.

Without his glasses, there was an slight _something_ to his looks, which made him more handsome, Jongin thought.

" --LLO?? ARE YOU STILL THERE, KYUNGSOO?"

Oh, the phonecall! Jongin focused on the loud voice on the other side, and the last night (or this morning) raced in his mind. 

"Is this Yeol?" Jongin demanded, an angry edge in his voice.

"You're not Kyungsoo! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY DO YOU HAVE HIS PHONE? TELL ME WHERE HE IS OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE"

"Stop screaming, will you? Bold of you to be so concerned when you've put your best friend through so much pain. He cried his eyes out, sobbed his voice hoarse asking for you, Yeol" Jongin snapped.

"Yeol? I'm not Yeol. Why would I be Yeol?" the caller said, confused. "Are you drunk? Look, just tell me where Kyungsoo is and I'll come pick him up" 

Jongin was tempted to tell him to fuck off and that Kyungsoo didn't deserve someone like him and that he'd take him home himself and take care of his broken heart. 

_He's not yours to make such decisions for him,_ his brain pointed out.

And then he realised he had a competition to get ready for.

His gaze landed on the clock; he had an hour before he'd have to leave for rehearsals, and he couldn't possibly leave a sleeping Kyungsoo alone. The poor thing would wake up alone and hungover, and just thinking of that sent a pang in Jongin's chest. 

Sighing, he gave his address to the caller and hung up.

The sudden ache in his heart seemed to have overtaken the physical aches his body was experiencing. Which was saying something, as his back was killing him. 

_He's just a stranger you helped out. Don't get too attached,_ that annoying voice in his head said.

Well, that was true, and Kyungsoo probably won't even remember Jongin, considering how drunk he was. Another sigh, and his eyes sought out the sleeping figure.

Jongin would definitely miss Kyungsoo, despite having spent only a few hours together. The latter seemed to have staked a claim on a small corner of Jongin's already soft (and overprotective) heart.

Well, they could be friends after this, right? But Jongin realised with another pinch to his heart that Kyungsoo seemed madly in love with his friend and Jongin could never compete with that kind of affection.

And when Yeol returned, seeing them together would just hurt Jongin more. 

He'd have to let Kyungsoo go, from his heart and mind and life.

Resigned to his fate of losing a possible (and precious) new friend, Jongin set about putting Kyungsoo's stuff together so he didn't leave anything behind. The last thing to go in the paper bag was the bundle.

The jacket, Jongin corrected himself. _Yeol's jacket._

Wait. 

Yeol's jacket? That didn't seem right.

He pulled the cloth back out and looked at it. It was a jacket alright. But it didn't seem like it would fit a 20 year old. Or a 10 year old even. It was just too small. 

Was it Yeol's jacket from when he was a kid, he wondered. 

A message notification from Kyungsoo's phone halted Jongin's mental extrapolations.

From: Sehunnie  
Found Yeol. We're abt to reach. 5 mins more. 

Kyungsoo's friend was informing about his arrival. But it wasn't the five words that caught Jongin's attention.

No, it was what was on the screen behind the notification. 

Kyungoo’s screensaver. 

_Thump thump_

A selfie of Kyungsoo, with a dazzling smile on his face. 

_Thump thump_

Jongin's breath caught in his throat at how handsome Kyungsoo looked.

His beautiful, and usually pouty, mouth seemed to form a heart when he smiled. And his eyes crinkled up, making it the cutest face Jongin had ever seen in his life.

_Thump thump_

Kyungsoo's hair was much longer in the picture. Windswept.

Probably taken in spring, based on the blooming flowers in the background. Jongin would have loved to brush the wayward locks off his face, so more of his unblemished skin could be seen.

_Thump thump_

And then his eyes fell on the foreground of the picture. On someone much closer to the camera. 

Someone wearing a green jacket. The one he had been holding in his hands just minutes ago. 

Yeol's jacket. 

_What_

"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR"

As if breaking from a trance, Jongin realised his door was being pounded on hard.

While the knocks turned to raps turned to loud banging, Jongin's head swiveled to look at Kyungsoo, who seemed to be waking up with the noise, then to the still lit screen of the phone and then back to the door. 

Without realising his actions, he opened the door and let Kyungsoo's friends in.

There were 3 of them. The tallest of them grabbed Jongin's shirt collar, as if ready to punch him. Given how his expression seemed cold, and his knuckles bony, it would hurt a lot. 

"Where is Kyungsoo?" the second one, a step behind Jongin's accoster, asked. Or yelled. He was the one who had been screaming on the phone.

"YEOL!" 

Everyone present in the room turned towards Kyungsoo, as he stumbled out of the bed and into the arms of the third friend. 

His best friend.

The love of his life.

Yeol.

"WOOF WOOF!!!"

The beagle seemed to be as excited to see Kyungsoo as the elder was emotional to have his friend back.

His best friend.

The love of his life.

Yeol the beagle. 

A dog.

Kyungsoo's Yeol was a dog.

Couldn't have chocolate. Didn't like cats. Loved the park. 

Click. Click. Click.

Jongin could hear the gears lock in place as his brain looked at Kyungsoo's words last night in a fresh new light.

Kyungsoo seemed to be talking to him, thanking him perhaps, while his other friends, the human ones, explained that they found Yeol in the field outside. That they had been going crazy looking for Kyungsoo who disappeared from some birthday party last night.

But Jongin was too drained from a sleepless night and shell shocked with this revelation that all he could do was stare and nod at the thanks and back thumps and handshakes and hugs that came his way.

And as the visitors left and Jongin's apartment was once again quiet, just the way he liked it, he wondered if he had heard a "See you soon" in Kyungsoo's soft voice or if that had been his brain trying to force the hopeful words out of his own mouth unsuccessfully. 

_See you soon?_

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hola, readers! I'm really thankful to whoever decided to give this silly mess a chance until the end. Not beta'ed or even really edited tbh… 🙈 No Chanyeol or pets were harmed during this fic :P
> 
> PS: Title is from the Frank Sinatra song, and refers to kaisoo and me


End file.
